United States came into the World Cup clearly not as favourites, but their plan was quite clear: avoid defeat against England, and play for their life in the next two matches in order to make it to the last 16 of the World Cup. Phase one of the plan seems to have been well executed; now we comes to phase 2. USA captain Landon Donovan has on record said that their match against Slovenia will effectively be a Cup final, should they manage to avoid defeat in the first match. However, Slovenia currently top the table after their win in the first match against Algeria, and the dynamics have changed to a degree, but a win nonetheless will do no harm to the chances of USA progressing to the next round, while a win for Slovenia will all but confirm their place in the final 16 of the World Cup.
Looking at the first match for USA, they were more than just looking to avoid defeat against a team like England, who on paper have one of the best line-ups, but just could not bring the starts together to form a team on the day. Apart from a number of isolated pieces of brilliance, there was hardly anything to write home about from the 1966 World Cup champions, whereas USA produced one of their best performances in World Cups, matching the English move by move, and in totality they certainly were the better side. The nature of the goal may have been fortunate as Green spilled a regular shot from Clint Dempsey, but that still does not undermine the overall performance of the Americans.
While Slovenia also had a somewhat fortuitous first match against Algeria, where they won one goal to nil, but taking into account the performance during the 90 minutes, Slovenia did prove their worth, and showed that they deserve to be in the World Cup. Their organised defence and tactical approach in midfield was enough to announce that they can be a tough opposition for any team in the tournament. United States may turn out to be a more stern opposition than Algeria, however, but if Slovenia continue their good work from the first game, there is no reason why they cannot get a good result in their 2nd game, and secure their path to the next round of the World Cup.
As far as the key players in the match are concerned, Jozy Altidore will certainly be the man to watch from USA; the striker blessed with pace was more than a handful for the English defence in the first game, and was only denied by Green tipping the ball over the top of the bar, after he had comprehensively beaten Jamie Carragher to make his way to the goal. He has since long been tipped as the upcoming player from the States, and this World Cup may be the time when he finally breaks into football big time. And the goal scorer from the first game, Clint Dempsey, will be a constant threat; Dempsey had a fabulous season with his club Fulham, with whom he made it to the final of the Europa League, only to lose at the last hurdle to Atlético Madrid.
While from Slovenia, Bojan Jokic will have to be an important man who will definitely be tested by the pace and creativity of USA captain Landon Donovan, and the defender will have his work cut out against the LA Galaxy star, who is by far the most dangerous player when it comes to the attacking side of the United States team.
Taking in to account the results from the first matches of both teams, it surely is expected to be an intriguing game, as there is a lot at stake for both: a place in the next round for Slovenia, and a chance to go up to 4 points for USA. Odds are on a draw, but let’s hope if that is the eventual outcome of the match, at least it’s one featuring goals.
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